The new Bonpoint store, located at 805 Madison on the Upper East Side, will appeal to the Francophile, the New Yorker and of course moms and children looking for the perfect outfit. The boutique, which opened right after Labor Day, boasts a number of French imports, including a Parisian shabby chic sofa, a table from Avignon, a wood and glass door and of course a brilliant chandelier, just to name a few. Yet, it includes touches of New York, as well. There’s mosaic glass flooring at the entrance, and smatterings of stainless steel from New York factories and subways are used as a backdrop to their wall of fragrances and also at the cashier counter. The French-New York mix blends perfectly, and as Eric Vallat, Bonpoint President and CEO, puts it “we consider ourselves pretty good at blending.” —
Tricia Miller, US Retail Director, explains that the new storefront has room for everything. “The Maison Bonpoint in New York contains the entirety of the collection, so it is a very good representation of who we are as a company,” she says.
The space itself is more than two times larger than their other Madison Avenue store, with an amazing piece called “the tree of life” in its center. The family tree of Bonpoint started simply with a mother who could not find clothing she wanted for her own children, so she figured she would make it herself—and the tree keeps branching out farther.
Bonpoint now has stores all over the world, but as Vallat states, “this is the first maison outside of France, so we didn’t want it to be a copy of the Paris one. We wanted it to feel the flavor of Parisian atmosphere, but at the same time be inspired by the New York environment.”
At a time when the economy is not doing well and clothes are mass marketed, it might at first seem a stretch for some to shop at the luxurious Bonpoint. Yet, it is a store where, as Miller notes, “you can get something timeless and classic, but still very modern; it will be made of the highest quality fabrics and have the craftsmanship that you can see in the details,” as she points out a blouse with hand pleats and lovely hand-stitching that has obviously been painstakingly done. Looking at shelf after shelf and rack after rack of clothing you don’t need to be an expert to see that she is right—the quality, the cut and the color of each piece is amazing, and perhaps most importantly, it will last.
Vallat adds, “I think Bonpoint’s philosophy is its love for children. It is still a family business dedicated to children. The idea is to not take ourselves too seriously because we’re about children. Yes, Bonpoint is a couture brand and we have fashion shows, but behind this it is more of a very simple story of people who love colors…love attention to detail and who believe it is actually much more than a product; it is an atmosphere.”
And the atmosphere that they have created at 805 Madison is incredibly inviting. Maybe that’s why women end up buying items for themselves at Bonpoint. “The liberty tunics that moms buy for their daughters, they can also buy for themselves,” Miller says. (The size 38 in the YAM pre-teen line is equivalent to a women’s size 6) “Or they buy the pre-teen dresses and if they are a little short then they pair the dress with leggings and either sandals or boots and it’s a great look.”
Even items like jewelry and perfumes that are made for children are purchased by adults. “Our perfume is bought 50% by women – women who are looking for subtle fragrances rather than strong ones,” Vallat says. “Our skincare is developed for children, but a baby has the most fragile skin, so what is good for the babies is good for the mother.”
When asked why she thinks everyone seems to love Bonpoint from New Yorkers to Parisians (and people all over the world) Vallat says, “We are one of very few pure players. We have collections for children 0-16, shoes, perfume, and cosmetics. Also, people in Paris like us because we are a no logo brand. We are a brand that pays attention to the quality of its products, to the design and to the colors.”
The good news, Vallat says, is you will find the same collections here as you will in Paris. “We pay a lot of attention to making sure that our collections are consistent worldwide… Even though this store is very different from any other—the atmosphere and the core collections are the same.”
And what can we expect next from Bonpoint? Vallat says possibly a furniture line. “Many people ask us whether they can buy our furniture, but the way we do it is quality prevails,” she says. “So we are not necessarily quick, we just ensure that everything we do is perfect and exactly what we want to do. So furniture is probably in our five-year plan.”
While we will have to wait for the furniture, we can at least enjoy the new fall line. “We’ll have classics—coats, dresses, but always with a twist,” Vallat says. “We have some new shapes for dresses that I think will be very strong. We also have a rockabilly theme. It is inspired from the rock in London during the 60s & 70s.”
Besides a new collection, moms and kids alike can enjoy workshops starting in the fall. “We will have French reading hour, beading jewelry with Liberty fabric and beads and marionette puppet shows,” Miller says. “Events that will reinforce the artistic spirit of the brand and embrace the children with that spirit–it goes back to the love of children that is why we do what we do.”
For more information, visit bonpoint.com.
